Negative Approach, Bloodclot, Opposition Rising, and more at Hardcore Stadium

The ultimate hardcore punk lineup in Boston. The legendary Negative Approach comes to the hardcore stadium with Bloodclot, a new band with members of legendary NYHC bands, and of course Boston's very own Opposition Rising, Panzerbastard, Buried Dreams and Ritual Blade. This was another show I was late to, so unfortunately Ritual Blade will not be featured.

Buried Dreams
Genre: Heavy Hardcore/Metalcore FFO: Buried Alive, All Out War, Rude Awakening

Probably the band that stood out the most at the show, Buried Dreams played second this night. You could tell they had a lot of fans in the crowd ready to have fun during the set. Featuring members from other metal and hardcore bands throughout Massachusetts, Buried Dreams play a style that is very heavy and riffy put still remains more on the hardcore side. Frontman, Austin Sparkman, spoke out and asked "how many of you consider us a metalcore band?" not sure if he was kidding or not but it gave everyone a good laugh. With the heavy breakdowns, all the fans were moshing with no remorse and hitting hard, at one point, Austin even joined in on the fun, and moshed while still singing. Tons of people were going for the mic. Buried Dreams ended with the anthem appropriately titled "Buried Dreams" where no mic was needed to hear the crowd scream "BURIED DREAMS MOTHERFUCKER!" and then proceeded into the final song.

https://burieddreams.bandcamp.com/album/winter-demo

Panzerbastard
Genre: Crossover Thrash/Hardcore Punk FFO: D.R.I. Amebix, Motorhead

Panzerbastard was next on the lineup. Another band consisting of members from various metal bands from Boston, Panzerbastard play a brand of crossover thrash metal that is very fast and reminiscent of the 80's. Frontman Kpanzer pointed out how excited he was to be opening for Negative Approach and stated that if it wasn't for them, none of these bands that we know and love would even exist considering it all started with them (amongst other bands). Now having being a band from Boston for over 10 years, they have some loyal fans who are always ready to dance for them. I'm pretty sure every song the played involved circle pits, and everyone spilling beers on the floor from all the ruckus, definitely an eighties vibe from the crowd and music. As many could tell, Panzerbastard are very heavily influenced by the great Motorhead and actually ended with a cover of Iron Fist. Kpanzer said before the cover " if you know the words, there are three available microphones up here" and surely enough members of the crowd got there chance to sing a Motorhead cover.

 https://panzerbastard.bandcamp.com/

Opposition Rising
Genre: this band hates genres and I will respectfully not give them one FFO: Toxic Narcotic, Discharge, Conflict

Definitely another set to remember from the night was the performance by Opposition Rising. a prime example of punk rock at its finest, they would constantly say how much they hate genres, cops, and of course the world. Tons of fans were there circle pitting for every song and dancing for every breakdown, and the frontman would constantly say, "if you don't dance you don't get a cover". with the aggressive fast riffs and catchy choruses, Opposition Rising is the type of band you don't need to hear beforehand to have a good time at one of their shows. You could tell that some of the crowd just wanted to get the mic and only knew the repetitive choruses. When the moment came, Opposition Rising ended their set with the cover they promised and well enough it was the song Asshole by the vocalists old band Toxic Narcotic. If there's one Boston band that represents punk in every aspect, it's definitely Opposition Rising and if you hate everything as much as they do I highly recommend checking them out when they play again. Everything is free on their bandcamp and They will be playing Hardcore stadium again with Kill Your Idols Oct.7


https://oppositionrising.bandcamp.com/

Bloodclot
Genre: Crossover Thrash metal FFO: Cro-Mags, Leeway

Bloodclot is a new band out of NYC featuring John Joseph of Cro-Mags, and Todd Youth of Warzone, Agnostic Front, and Danzig and needless to say, it doesn't sound all to different from any of the bands they were in. If you could imagine Cro-Mags releasing another album but more on the thrash side but still having that NYHC edge, then that would be Bloodclot. Although not very many have listened to the new album, circle pits were still going on for each song with a little moshing every now and then. What peaked my interest was John's comments about punk and hardcore. He would talk about when he would play with Cro-Mags in the 80's in places very similar to the Hardcore Stadium, and pointed out one of the members of Bloodclot was actually in the video for We Gotta Know and now he's playing with one of his heroes. He mentioned a Bad Brains show in boston from the 80's and said who was there... the room fell into complete silence, until one guy said "it ain't Judas Priest". Overall, although Bloodclot's music was very enjoyable, I thought the cool part of the set was hearing about hardcore in the 80's.

Negative Approach
Genre: Hardcore Punk FFO: Black Flag, Agnostic Front, Bad Brains

Of course the real heroes of the night were the almighty Negative Approach. Some could recall when they played the hardcore stadium before at the AHC kick off, the bassist specifically said to keep the light on so he could see. The only reason I bring that up is because it was the first thing that came into my mind and I thought if he is going to still be like that, and right when they started, the lights went out and i saw him looking back and forth realy fast and I just thought, yep. Now personal jokes aside, Negative Approach without a doubt proved that they are still a huge pinnacle in hardcore and punk, there wasn't a single song played where there wasn't a tidal wave of people going for the mic. There were people jumping from the couches (myself being one of them) to get on top of the crowd, people swinging from the ceiling, bouncing off the walls, and just plain jumping from any elevated point they could find just to get a chance to sing. There was so much energy you could see the moisture from everyones sweat building up on the mirror behind the band which was pretty gross but, since when is punk about being tidy or anything. If there's anything else I could say about this band, I guess it would be that 30 years worth of experience in punk definitely pays off. the crowd was as wild that night as it could be back then. I never would've thought I would be lucky enough to see this band twice.

Sumerlands and Eternal Champion at Johnny Brenda's

Heavy metal revival comes to Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia. Me and my friend Neil traveled all the the way to Philly from Boston to witness an epic heavy metal fantasy world. An impeccable show by bands we've been waiting to see. Unfortunately We got there late so Legendry will not be part of this review.

Eternal Champion

Genre: Epic Heavy Metal FFO: Dio, Diamond Head, Ozzy Osbourne (mostly "The Ultimate Sin")

Now imagine if you will that you are in medieval times. You are a warrior born for battle and you just stepped on the bloodstained ground ready for war against an army of orcs. You are literally in a story inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien. This was exactly the feeling you get from seeing Eternal Champion. Vocalist Jason Tarpey (best known for his work in Iron Age) came on stage with a horn and leather arm bands looking straight out of the scenario I just said. While the vocal performance was spot on, his stage antics followed suit, looking as if he was a viking doing a war cry, and pretending to shoot the crowd with a bow and arrow. Some may remember The Saga Demos that Iron Age put out telling the story of a  warrior, a wizard, and a witch, this band is just the same as those songs. Before playing the song, The Armor of Ire, Tarpey said the words ""this song is about running really far  to chop off someone's head" and then proceeded to play the song. As the set ended, Tarpey blew his horn with a victorious breath, then said the words "We are Eternal Champion and I AM THE HAMMER!" and proceeded to play the song everyone's been waiting for, I Am The Hammer. Definitely the song I expected them to close with but with a twist, through different parts of the song, he blew the horn as the guitars would slow down. Eternal Champion put on an incredible performance with their shredding guitars and heroic melodies, but what really took the prize was definitely Tarpey's stage appearance and commitment to the bands image.

https://eternalchampion.bandcamp.com/

Sumerlands

Genre: Heavy Metal FFO: Dio, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne

While Eternal Champion gave the image of war and wizard fights, Sumerlands set the stage for a more epic journey of the gods. Vocalist, Phil Swanson stood like a monument while singing as the crowd watched from below viewing him as a godlike entity. The heroic melodies make you feel like you're riding on horseback to full fill a prophecy. Sumerlands didn't have too much to say to the crowd and they ended up playing everything on the lp except Lost my Mind and of course ended with the track, Sumerlands. Sound quality was spot on for them, and Swanson hit the high notes in Guardian flawlessly. A spectacular performance by both bands, me and Neil left the venue both saying that it was one of the best shows we've been to. Worth the 5 hour drive and the run down hotel room. Hopefully both bands will get to the point that they can tour so next time we can see a Boston date.

https://sumerlands.bandcamp.com/releases

Thou, Cloud Rat, Moloch, False, Ascend/Descend @ ONCE Ballroom

Sludge metal devils, Thou obliterated ONCE ballroom in Somerville with the support of a bunch of bands playing various other styles. Throughout the night, the lineup seemed to go from a fast band to a slow band with the common theme of still playing very dark.

Ascend/Descend
Genre: Hardcore/crust/D-Beat FFO: Victims, Tragedy, From Ashes Rise

Opening up was Boston's very own Ascend/Descend. Playing their brand of fast and hateful hardcore punk, the crusty riffs matched up perfectly with vocalist, Michelle Dugan's absolutely vicious voice. Occasionally there would be some moshing and Even a few mic shares, which nowadays is rare for an opening band for whatever reason. Even though the band primarily plays fast songs, they managed to fit one slow and heavier song within their set, very reminiscent of Wolvhammer in my opinion but more on the sludge metal side with a faint blackened background, but still with a structure that reminds you that it's still Ascend/Descend. A very impressive performance indeed from what I would say is a very underrated band, Ascend/Descend is definitely a band not to be slept on. The next time you see them on a flier, definitely consider going.

Ascenddescendhc.bandcamp.com

False
Genre: Black Metal FFO:Deathspell Omega, Altar of Plagues

Next up was False. Not a bad idea to transition from crust punk to black metal, definitely an enjoyable change of pace. False began without even saying anything, like not mentioning who they are or a thank you for coming out, as soon as they were ready, they began. The less talk more rock attitude is something I like to see from bands like this. It was tough to compare this band to other black metal bands but Deathspell Omega was definitely the first to come in my head. A different type of sound that makes them more unique to other black metal bands, plenty of blast beats transitioning into other drum patterns but without slowing dowm, lots of tremolo picking transitioning from an evil scenario to beautiful melodies that make you feel like you're on a mountain, and tons of reverb on very demonic vocals. One very notable thing, Vocalist Rachel had an exceptional vocal performance to the point where she sounded just plain inhumane. Something tells me False isn't the type of band that would play Boston all that often so I am grateful they could play this show, here's to hoping this tour has a positive reaction towards them!

https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-2015

Moloch
Genre: Sludge metal FFO: Seven Sisters of Sleep, Noothgrush, Fistula

The next act was Moloch. I should probably mention this is the Moloch from the UK. Starting with a very heavy opening song, Moloch set the stage for a sludge/doom setting. All the songs were rather long and didn't change up too much, however just when you think the same riff would be played, the drum patterns would change and get slightly faster, and then they heavy would eventually return in an even slower fashion. In my opinion, Moloch was nothing special, but once again the change of pace in the lineup definitely keeps you on your toes, and of course if you like sludge metal with a dark setting I would recommend checking them out

https://moloch.bandcamp.com/

Cloud Rat
Genre: Grindcore FFO: Pig Destroyer, Pageninetynine

As soon as I saw Cloud Rat on this lineup, I knew I was in for a good time. Cloud Rat came on stage unknowingly to me as a three piece (guitar, drums, and vocals) but still played absolutely terrifying destructive riffs with perfect clarity. Playing a very unique style, Cloud Rat played a blend of grindcore with a strong screamo/skramz influence with occasional evil blackened riffs that turned the pit into a warzone. The guitarist said a few words and thanked the sound guy for playing country music while they set up. If I remember correctly, they played a new song that showed the followed the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" and kept the sound that makes you think "yep that's Cloud Rat". Also well known for being pro-vegan  and Pro-women's rights, all the girls were moshing just as hard, if not harder, than the guys. The crowd was cheering with excitement all night for this band, the performance was definitely everything I hoped it to be, the next time you hear of them coming around don't miss out!

https://cloudrat.bandcamp.com/

Thou
Genre: Sludge/Doom/Drone metal FFO: Lord Mantis, Sunn O))), Indian

The evil from Baton-Rouge was next to terrorize the stage. Thou come out and played the loudest, heaviest set of the night. With their sound clear as day, they played so loud that I would say my head was ringing into the next day. With the absolutely evil sounding riffs, all I could imagine was the gothic artwork most of their albums had. Thou played a little before midnight so I was trying hard to stay awake but as heavy and evil as the band sounded I felt as though it could put me to sleep but still give me some kind of nightmare and plunge me into despair. Thou put on a destructive performance and i know I said it about the other bands, but do not miss out on it next time!

https://thou.bandcamp.com/